Tag Archives: Ghostbusters

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HERE ARE SOME ISSUES THAT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT.

Tyler’s Recommendation…Wildstorm Michael Cray #1“I’ve enjoyed the reboot of Wildstorm very much, so this first solo book has my interest. Being a reader with little knowledge of the old Wildstorm, it has been fun to slowly learn all the players.”Continue reading Indubitable Issues and Pull List (10/11/17)→

It’s a double helping of Ghostbusting goodness thanks to an interdemensional magic snafu.

The Real Ghostbusters (of the eponymous 90s cartoon) are an a typical workday when the Greek god Proteus attacks them, for fear of being trapped inside one of their contraptions. Thanks to them casually saving a witch earlier in the day, they are zapped out of danger into an adjacent dimension. They return to their headquarters to discover alternate versions of themselves, the IDW iteration of the Ghostbusters. After briefly mentioning the last time this happened (and the means they solved it), Janine cracks the whip and sends the 8 men into the field on a call.

Dan Schoening does a good job replicating the visual style of The Real Ghostbusters and faithfully drawing its character models. He also differentiates the “feel” of the two universes but making one lighter and cleaner than the one longtime readers have come to know.

While its fun seeing the Venkmans be neurotic, the Egons compare notes, and the Rays geek out, it makes me question how long the premise can entertain. The fun of seeing the Ghostbusters and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles together was seeing the similarities (Venkman=Rapheal, Egon=Donatello, Ray=Michealanglo, Winston=Leonardo) but also seeing the differences. The contrast of the two groups made the story fun, seeing ninja action and Sci-Fi craziness together. I’m not too familiar with the RGB, but so far they don’t seem too different from the IDW version. Hopefully, Erik Burnham has a way to make the two groups bounce off each other to make the team-up more interesting.

Still, this issue was fun and made me chuckle at the various characters actions, as well as the reason for their meeting. Fans of either iteration should have plenty to enjoy. The premise is solid, I just worry about having too much of a good thing and being let down by it.

One element of Staples’ talent which often gets overlooked is how strong her coloring work is. Just take another look at this panel. Her rendering of the smoke, both its gradation of hues as well as the suggestion of texture, is masterful. Also it makes the slow approach of Prince Robot even more chilling- Cosmoby Fiona Staples from Saga #18

The Story: The TMNT/GB’s team-up to fight Chi-You and his Thrall army. The GBs try to dispose of him using usual ghost tactics but learn they can’t capture him without defeating his thralls first. He gets away, while the groups recover and fight Round Two in Chinatown. After defeating a possessed Casey Jones, Chi-You is blown up by a proton cannon. Meanwhile, the window for the TMNT to return home is shrinking, and Chi-You is ready for the final confrontation.

The Art: I keep getting nostalgia flashbacks to the 2003-2007 TMNT cartoon, and I love it. Schoening continues his cartoonish and expressive style with a gusto here.

Overall: The interactions between the TMNT and the Ghostbusters are funny and what you would expect. The writers have also found a way to up the stakes between the heroes and the villain. Perhaps unsurprisingly, my favorite parts of the issue involve Michelangelo and the sirens of the Ecto vehicles. The Crossover of the year concludes next year (in actuality next month) and I’m confident it will be a satisfying end for fans of both the TMNT and Ghostbusters.

The Story: The TMNT and the Ghostbusters team-up to stop a power-hungry god and rescue Casey Jones from his clutches.

The Art: Wonderfully cartoony and expressive. Both characters look as though they belong next to each other; although there was one panel where April O’Neil had the same face as Janine the receptionist.

Overall:Buy this book! Seriously, next issue Donatello is going to use a Proton Pack to catch ghosts! This also ties into the current TMNT subplot of the teleported and Technidrome (if you care about that stuff).

This book is a combined effort from the teams of both books, and doesn’t feel awkward or forced. It occupies a sweet spot where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters can interact without one feeling implausible.

Don and Harold are testing a teleported to aid in the coming war with Krang and inadvertently send the TMNT (plus Casey Jones and April O’Neil) to the NYC universe of the GB.

Meanwhile, the GB are alerted to a dimensional breach and rush to stop a major Ghost infestation.

The story ends there, with the promise of more fun to come. If I had one nitpick, it would be that new readers might be confused by the TMNT story side of the book as that’s what provides the main fuel of the crossover. Since I’ve followed the main book from the beginning and all the micros I understood everything. Following context and the nifty intro page should be enough for newcomers though.

On the art, the book looks great the whole way through; the three artists working in tandem with each other. Dan Schoening in particular gives the TMNT a resemblance to the 2003 cartoon which I hugely enjoyed. Also nice to see Cory Smith drawing the TMNT again since he left art duties on the main book.

This was everything I could want from a crossover, including more of the IDW Ghostbusters. Pick this up for some rockin 80s fun.